Dirt Late Model driver Carson Ferguson will make his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut for Kaulig Racing, driving the No. 25 Ram 1500 on Friday, April 10, at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The ride comes as part of the Ram Free Agent Program, which celebrates Ram’s return to NASCAR after a 13-year absence and features a rotating lineup of veterans and up-and-coming drivers in Kaulig’s No. 25 entry throughout the 2026 season.
Ty Dillon will pilot the No. 25 this afternoon (4:30 p.m. ET on FS1) at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway.
Ferguson earned next week’s Bristol opportunity after an impressive performance during the eight-episode reality television series “Race for the Seat,” presented by Ram and Kaulig Racing, which pitted 15 drivers vying against each other for a full-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series ride in Kaulig Racing’s No. 14 Ram 1500.
The series aired on Fox and the Ram and Kaulig Racing YouTube Channels before the start of the season.
Ferguson earned $50,000 when he won the show’s season-ending 20-lap Late Model Stock Car race at South Boston (Va.) Speedway. He finished second in the television competition to Timothy “Mini” Tyrrell, who is driving the No. 14 Ram 1500 full-time this season.
“Carson proved he has the talent and drive to step up to this level,” said Chris Rice, Kaulig Racing’s chief executive officer, who joined Kaulig Racing owner Matt Kaulig and chief business officer Ty Norris as the show’s three judges.
“His performance on ‘Race for the Seat’ showed us what he is capable of, and we’re excited to give him this shot in the No. 25 Ram under the Free Agent Program at one of the sport’s most iconic tracks. We told him during the show that he would have a chance to drive at Martinsville Speedway this year but the more we thought about it the more we wanted to see his talent on the track so we moved him up to Bristol instead. We hope this leads to great things for Carson.”
Ferguson, 25, from Lincolnton, North Carolina, has established himself as one of the top young talents in dirt late model racing. He competes full-time in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for Paylor Motorsports, driving the No. 93 Longhorn Chassis.
Ferguson is a two-time Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals Series champion (2022 and 2023), the 2019 FASTRAK Racing Series champion and rookie of the year, and holds dozens of regional and national dirt wins dating back to his early career in Legend Cars, where he became the only driver to win all three INEX national finals events on pavement in the same year (2014). He is the younger cousin of fellow dirt late model driver Chris Ferguson.
Bristol marks his first start in a NASCAR national series race.
“I’m thrilled for the chance to make my NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut at Bristol through the Ram Free Agent Program,” Ferguson said. “Competing on ‘Race for the Seat’ was an incredible experience, and even though I came up just short of the full-time ride, getting this shot to race with Kaulig Racing means a lot. Bristol is a tough, high-banked track and a heck of a place to make your pavement debut in NASCAR. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of that No. 25 Ram and show what I can do.”
Tony Stewart, Dillon, Colin Braun and Corey LaJoie have piloted the No. 25 in 2026. The driver for the May 1 race at Texas Motor Speedway will be announced minutes before the Bristol race.
— Kaulig Racing —